Sep 22nd 2008
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Vintage: 2003
Purchased: Jun 7th 2007
Price: $11.99
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Tasting Notes:
We were having steak, so I opened a Bordeaux. At first this wine showed mostly black fruit and raspberry flavors. But as it opened up, blueberry seemed to dominate. This is a really good wine at this price.
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Sep 5th 2007Comments(0)
Aug 18th 2008
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Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Feb 16th 2007
Price: $11.99
Number on Hand: 1
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Tasting Notes:
If all Bordeaux was like this, I'd drink much more. Looking at this wine, you understand why Bordeaux received the name claret from the British. This is a transparent wine. It's not inky black. It's a dark red, but you can see through it. The nose has more red fruit than black fruit: strawberries, raspberries, and red currant. In the mouth, it's creamy smooth. The fruit is muted at first, but came more apparent the longer it breathed. The red fruit is there, along with some plum. The finish is long with no oaky flavors and nice smooth tannins. I also noticed just a hint of an herbal mint quality.
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Jul 30th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Aug 9th 2007
Price: $24.00
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Tasting Notes:
Kathrine picked this wine out and I'm not sure why. Even when I originally tasted it I was not a super fan. This is a well made cabernet. The color is spot on and it's very full bodied. The nose is a mixture of blackberry, oak, and a hint of mint. In the mouth though, the fruit flavors just explode. It's a jammy concoction of creme de cassis, black berry, and just a hint of chocolate. There are tannins and acid, but they just heighten the jammieness. This would be your basic fruit bomb. It's a good wine, just not my style.
Comments(1)
Jul 22nd 2008
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Vintage: 2002
Purchased: Jan 22nd 2008
Price: $13.67
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Tasting Notes:
This is an interesting wine. You'd expect this to be your average big fuity cab. You'd be wrong. This wine is earthy and funky. The color is dark and inky, but the nose is filled with forest floor and mushroom aromas. On the palate, there is some fruit, mostly black, but the earthy taste again dominates. The finish is quite long with nice chewy tannins. It could perhaps have used a touch more acid. But this wine has personality out the wazoo, something you don't often find at this price point.
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May 21st 2008
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Vintage: 2003
Purchased: Jul 12th 2007
Price: $23.00
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Tasting Notes:
I opened this up to go with a super thick hickory smoked, spice rubbed rib-eye. And then proceed to drink it over 3 days. I remember this being one of the first cabernets that Kathrine really took a liking to. In the glass it's dark and purple with a light rim. The nose is all ripe black fruit without even a hint of mineral or earth. In the mouth it's medium to full bodied. The dark fruit dominated with an nice acidic backbone. Nicely integrated and quite pleasant to drink. On day two the fruit had faded and it wasn't quite as good. The acid seemed to overpower the other flavors and it seemed quite hot. By day three there was nothing left. So this is a good wine, but definitely ready to drink now.
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Apr 7th 2008
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Jun 9th 2007
Price: $20.00
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Tasting Notes:
This is a very fruity wine, with almost no tannins to speak of. A very pleasant, if not completely serious cabernet.
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Dec 13th 2007
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Vintage: 2001
Purchased: Sep 1st 2007
Price: $27.50
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Tasting Notes:
This wine is a deep inky purple in the glass, yet it smells very fruity. The wine is fruit forward with dark cherry and black fruit flavors, but there is just enough acidity and spice to keep it complex and interesting. The tannins have softened very much with time to give it a silky mouth feel. This is one of the better bottles of cabernet I've had. This is also one that would work well with food or on its own.
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Sep 5th 2007
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Vintage: 2003
Purchased: Jun 7th 2007
Price: $11.99
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Tasting Notes:
I was making a sous vide flat iron steak, and figured a big bold Bordeaux would mate with it well. I had two bottles of this, and decided I'd give it a try. I didn't take any detailed notes, but thought it was pretty good. I think it will be better in a year or two. Since I don't have much to say, here's what Robert Parker said:
"Situated northwest of Libourne, this 37-acre vineyard, planted with 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, has fashioned a sleepers of the vintage. Produced from 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, the dense ruby/purple-hued 2003 exhibits an opulent black raspberry and cherry-scented bouquet offering hints of cedar, vanilla, and roasted herbs. Beautifully-textured, medium to full-bodied, with silky tannin, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 5-7 years. 89pts"
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Sep 22nd 2008Comments(0)
Jul 26th 2007
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Jan 20th 2007
Price: $12.99
Purchase Location: QFC
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Tasting Notes:
Kathrine and I stopped at QFC after work to get groceries and something for dinner. They happened to have t-bone steaks on sale for 6.99/lb. I bought a 2" thick monster that was more like a porterhouse, and only ended up being $11. We cooked it up for dinner with a zucchini gratin. The steak required a big red wine to go along with it and I decided a nice Washington cabernet would be perfect so I opened this.
In the glass this was a deep dark color. It was almost completely opaque and the the color of dark black cherry skins. It didn't show any signs of age around the rim. The nose was still fresh and fruity. Mostly blackberry, but with other ripe fruits. I also smelled cedar and a hint of menthol. Once it hit my mouth, there was an explosion. This wine is big and juicy, but balanced and silky at the same time. The blackberry and black cherry tastes dominate. But there is also a red licorice taste, a hint of black pepper, a bit of cedar, and surprisingly a bit of dill. The finish is long and the tannins are soft and silky.
This is an excellent wine, and an example of what Washington does best. Our "big" producers consistently put out pretty amazing wine at this price point, and I don't think anyone can compete.
Comments(1)
May 3rd 2007
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Vintage: 2004
Purchased: Jan 21st 2007
Price: $7.99
Purchase Location: QFC
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Tasting Notes:
Kathrine picked this out to go with a braised beef shank dish that I had made. I quite enjoyed our trip to Silver Lake when we visited and was pretty impressed with most of their wines. My favorite was probably their Grand Reserve Claret, but at $40 a bottle, I feel that their are much better values out there. This wine is a similar blend at a much cheaper price.
It's got the expected color to it in the glass. A dark purple color. The nose is very pronounced and fruity. Mainly blackberry, but some other fruit components as well. On the palate you get the fruit first, but it's not overpowering. I tasted blackberry and blueberry, with just a hint of raspberry. It's backed up by a very good acid that Washington reds seem to have and is often missing from California. There wasn't a lot to spice to it. The back of the bottle mentioned vanilla, but I didn't get that. There were some soft tannins, but they were mild and well balanced. It tasted more like a cedar plank than oaky.
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